Colombian authorities reported Wednesday that they have arrested seven members of the Sinaloa Cartel accused of producing and selling fentanyl, the opiate that has sparked a public health crisis in the United States.
The Colombian National Police has indicated that the Criminal Investigation Directorate of the force, together with the US Drug Enforcement Agency and the Colombian Prosecutor’s Office, has captured these individuals, of Mexican nationality, »for extradition purposes» to the United States.
The US Justice has requested the extradition of the detainees for crimes of conspiracy to import drugs into its territory, possession of weapons such as machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, as reported by ‘El Espectador’.
The criminal organization »used digital applications such as the handling of cryptocurrencies for money laundering, making transfers to electronic wallets and then withdrawing the money in cash to continue the money laundering chain».
The Ministry of Defense of the Latin American country has described this capture as a »hard blow against drug trafficking at a global level», as detailed in a statement through their social networks.
The Sinaloa Cartel, formerly led by Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, has received several rounds of sanctions from the US Treasury Department, the most recent one last February, after US President Joe Biden promised »severe sanctions to end fentanyl trafficking».
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
